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Topic Review (Newest First)

03-27-2013 10:59 PM

darkknight9

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukttape

Thus the removing of the stock snorkel and putting a blocker in that slot of the intake heat shield.

However you want to, but if you don't cut off most of the airflow to the radiator its gonna take a loooooooooong time to warm up when its negative digit temps outside.

03-27-2013 10:15 PM

jetrinka

You need to see if there are any codes stored in the computer. You also need to ability to monitor different parameters the ECU sees, namely short and long term fuel trims, MAF values, ECT and IAT. If the long term values are really high, chances are you've got a vac leak or a MAF issue.

03-27-2013 10:05 PM

Dukttape

The thing that is stumping me is this is an issue only when its really cold. I originally posted as a list of solutions for my issues hoping that they might help someone else and maybe get an answer to what is going on. The next thing on my list of stuff to check is the IAC. That's if I can find it . Any other part(s) I should check?

03-27-2013 09:20 PM

jetrinka

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukttape

I have the Roush intake not the Steeda so I don't have an insert to put in.

The duratec pulls air from the crack between the hood and the grill with the stock setup as well as being a big plastic box that does allow for some engine heat to leach in where as the Roush intake is a big powder coated steel heat sink just stays cold because of the air flow in and around it.

I put the HID ballast in the heat shield to warm up the shield and air just enough so that the oil coming in from the breather hose doesn't muck with the throttle body when cruze is disengaged with the clutch. Also since the filter is drawing much more O2 dense air than the stock intake the car runs lean at higher RPMs/Speeds. Next winter I'm going to put an arm band around the smaller filter to lessen the air flow a bit to help with lean issue.

Please don't bash something until you fully understand it.

Thus the removing of the stock snorkel and putting a blocker in that slot of the intake heat shield.

It seems you might need some help understanding..

I can guarantee you that the air coming in from the stock intake is colder than the air of a short ram. Have you ever logged IAT's? I doubt it. The only thing the SRI helps with is lessen intake restriction. It certainly doesn't pull in colder air..

The next thing is the colder air IS NOT making your car run lean. The car has the capability to inject the correct amount of fuel for huge amounts of varying conditions including air temp, elevation, load, etc etc. The list goes on and on. If its off, the O2 sensor registers it and the ECU makes a correction one way or another. If your car is running lean or has a lean code i'd start looking at the diameter of that MAF tube of your SRI as the prime suspect, not intake temps...

I also seriously doubt your MAF is freezing... That just isn't how the sensor works. The sensor has a hot wire in it whose resistance increases or decreases depending on how much air is flowing past it thereby cooling it. The more air, the cooler the wire gets, and the resistance decreases. This is how the ECU determines how much air is actually being ingested by the engine.

The MAF actually uses a 5ish volt feed to a resistor thats placed in the intake stream of air, as increasing volumes of air flow past the MAF resistor, the cooling effect of the airflow decreases the MAFs resistance line, and the PCM receives a corresponding increased voltage (since it's being cooled by airflow) return and thus more air volume is measured going into the engine.

Cold air didn't cause any problems here, not by itself. If you could magically feed your engine -50F air while ambient temp for fuel and everything else was a more reasonable 35F, it would probably be a very happy engine and car. There would be a point eventually when the fuel trim would be pegged out maximum rich and no longer be able to supply any more extra fuel to match the actual volume of the super dense cold air ingested, and then the engine would just run leaner than the 14.7:1 it was shooting for. It would still run, and probably into -100F given the fuel and the rest of the car were at a magically balmy 35F, it would be dangerously lean and could cause damage, but it would probably still run. If I had to guess, this might happen at maybe -70F, again assuming the rest of the car and fuel were in a magical 35F environment. Even if it weren't a magical 35F everywhere else, who knows when the fuel would start to gel or freeze or stop proper atomization. Probably at colder temps than anyone could expect to reliably survive in.

Were there other cars on the road when yours stumbled? Was your car getting air any colder than the cars around you? Possibly, but it still wasn't any colder than ambient temp and they were probably getting around fine still. Every model of car on this site went through cold weather testing probably between -30 or -40, they may have even tweaked the antifreeze to enable this.

As in 4f, -4f, or typo and you meant -40f. Reason. If your any 'warmer' than -40f, then intake temp is not the issue. You sure you did not 'ingest' a snow cloud? The ice crystals would intrap in the filter, essentially plugging it. (just guessing here).
P.S. Roush made an SRI? Another OP was asking whether there was an SRI other than Steeda. Please confirm. Thanks.

The car said 4 the weather site said -10.

The Roush intake. By design its a SRI.

03-27-2013 05:05 PM

S0C0nFused

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukttape

The car was reading 4 outside temp. .

As in 4f, -4f, or typo and you meant -40f. Reason. If your any 'warmer' than -40f, then intake temp is not the issue. You sure you did not 'ingest' a snow cloud? The ice crystals would intrap in the filter, essentially plugging it. (just guessing here).
P.S. Roush made an SRI? Another OP was asking whether there was an SRI other than Steeda. Please confirm. Thanks.

03-27-2013 04:19 PM

Dukttape

Quote:

Originally Posted by S0C0nFused

Did you get the codes? What was the outside temp? just curious as said. I am betting (with myself) that your MAF had 'brain freeze'. I.E. The MAF measures quantity of air by temp measurement within a known volume. If you exceed the temp spec, then the MAF know longer knows how much air is entering and goes to safe (limp) mode! Think FORD tests to -40f, but normal MAF 'probably' can go to -50f. things get a bit iffy at the margins.
Hey! it's my theory and I'm stickin to it

The car was reading 4 outside temp. Pretty sure it was colder. I agree wholly with freezing the MAF. I dropped the car into neutral and actually turned it off for about 10sec. Probably not my best idea while going 55 but she turned right over and worked so long as I had it engaged in a gear. A bit of trouble at the stop lights but got to work where I tied hand warmers to the outside of the filter and got home without to much greef. I threw the stock intake back on the next morning and had that on for a 2-3 months.

03-27-2013 03:57 PM

#1fordfan

I have a steeda SRI,live in Illinois. We have had several sub zero days this winter. My car never had a problem related to the air intake. The battery issue is a different subject though.

03-27-2013 03:21 PM

S0C0nFused

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukttape

I was driving on the highway and the car lurched and went into limp mode.

Did you get the codes? What was the outside temp? just curious as said. I am betting (with myself) that your MAF had 'brain freeze'. I.E. The MAF measures quantity of air by temp measurement within a known volume. If you exceed the temp spec, then the MAF know longer knows how much air is entering and goes to safe (limp) mode! Think FORD tests to -40f, but normal MAF 'probably' can go to -50f. things get a bit iffy at the margins.
Hey! it's my theory and I'm stickin to it

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